


Tearin' Down That Highway, Like a Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde

by wildlilies



Category: Doctor Who RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 07:56:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildlilies/pseuds/wildlilies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Doctor Who RPF AU: A stranger in a bar has a way for Alex Kingston to start over and forget her old life of divorce and sadness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tearin' Down That Highway, Like a Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde

Alex Kingston was _not_ one to drink all of her sorrows away. Getting wasted may seem like a good idea and would numb the pain for several hours, but all that came from it was an awful hangover and plenty of regrets. Tonight, however, she was going to break her own policy and down as much alcohol as possible.

She’d chosen a seedy, dumpy bar on the outskirts of Los Angeles, hoping both to get away from the glitz of the city and to avoid any familiar faces. Thankfully, she’d driven far enough that neither seemed to be a problem. There were only a handful of other patrons in the bar, and a sleepy-looking bartender who seemed to want to avoid small talk just as much as she did. After handing her her drink, he’d stepped to the other end of the bar to watch some sports game on the television.

Alex took a sip of her drink, and found it far too strong for her liking. She decided she’d sip at it over time, which admittedly defeated the purpose of getting drunk quickly, but she didn’t particularly care at the moment. Frustrated, and her mind running a million miles an hour, she grabbed a small napkin from the bar and a pen from her purse. She began to make a list, but got distracted and spent the better part of an hour doodling on the other side of the napkin. She didn’t stop until she heard someone settle onto a barstool beside her and clear his throat.

She jumped and glanced up. The man wasn’t looking at her, however; his attention was trained on the bartender. She turned her head back to her drawing but watched out of the corner of her eye as the man ordered a beer. Well, could she consider him a man? He looked hardly older than a boy, but something about his demeanor made him seem older than he was. 

She hadn’t noticed she’d turned her head back to him until he said without looking up, “Maybe you could draw me and then you could look at me forever.”

Alex blushed profusely and immediately turned back to her doodle-covered napkin. When she glanced back up at him, he was looking at her with amusement and a slight smile curving at the corners of his lips. She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him and instead picked up her drink and downed half of it quickly, trying not to sputter too much. When she set it down and looked back at him, she was surprised to find him not looking at her, but at the things she’d doodled on her napkin.

“Are you alright?”

The question came as a surprise to her. What kind of person asked that to a complete stranger? And secondly, why was he even asking that? What about her made it seem like she wasn’t okay?

“Because your drawing is a bit… dark.” Oops. Apparently she’d asked that last question aloud. Alex glanced down at her napkin, partially surprised to find that he was right. She’d drawn a simple cartoon man and woman on the ground with what looked like – dear lord – stab wounds, while a woman with curly hair stood above them looking quite cross and maniacal. She groaned and leant forward to let her head drop against the bar top.

She heard the man next to her chuckle quietly, not unkindly. “Want to talk about it?”

Head still down, she considered his offer. What would be the harm in confiding a little in a stranger that she’d never see again? 

Alex lifted her head and sighed. “I just finalized my divorce.”

The man winced slightly and nodded. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Yeah, well. He had an affair, so it’s not like the divorce came as a huge shock or anything. But still, I feel like- I just feel like such a failure, that I couldn’t even keep a marriage together.”

He reached across her, pulling her napkin closer to him and picking up her pen. “He seems like an ass to me. Giving up a woman like you.”

Alex chuckled mirthlessly. “You don’t even know me.” She glanced over to find him bent over the napkin, scribbling with the pen. “What are you doing?” She leaned over his arm to get a peek. 

He’d written ‘idiot’ on the man’s shirt around the stab wounds and had colored over their heads, preferring instead to draw in a makeshift guillotine and add their heads to a basket at the base. Alex let out a single, surprised laugh.

“And I thought I was morbid, good lord.”

The man grinned and finished up, passing the napkin back to her. She made a show of inspecting it and tucking it in her bag.

“Thanks, I’ll keep it forever.”

“You better.”

They fell into an easy silence again, sipping their drinks. The humor of the situation soon wore off, and Alex felt herself feel low again, despite the alcohol and the presence of the stranger. 

As if the man could tangibly feel her mood shift, he spoke again. “Is there anything I can do?”

Surprised once again, she looked up at him for a moment. He was quite attractive, now that she got a good look. Maybe a rebound – no. She’d done that before, and it never really made her feel better. 

Alex shook her head. “No, there’s nothing you can do. I’d give anything just to leave everything behind and start all over, but I doubt you could really help me with that.”

She turned back to her drink as the man appeared to be lost in thought for a moment. She almost thought she was imagining things when he said, “What if I could help you do that?”

She whipped back around to him. “What did you say?”

He shrugged. “I mean, I have a way for you to get away from everything. Start over, if you want. I can give you an escape of sorts. But you’ll have to be very sure about it. Once you leave, there’s no turning back. Not for anything.”

Alex gaped at him. What on Earth could he even be talking about? As much as her brain told her this was a stupid, absolutely _horrible_ idea, there was another part of her that yearned for an adventure, a fresh new start no matter what the consequences were. Also, her curiosity wanted to find out what the hell he was talking about. No turning back at all? Whatever it is must be pretty big. Who knows? Maybe it would change her life for the better.

The man was looking at her strangely now, and she realized she’d begun nodding her head silently. Blushing once more, she reached up a hand to brush a curl from her forehead and spoke.

“Um, yes. My answer is yes. If you can give me a new start, I want to take it.”

The man raised his eyebrows and took another swig of his beer. “You’re serious? Wow, you’re serious. Okay. Great! Well then, I-”

“Wait! I don’t know your name. I just- I’d like to know who’s helping me start over.”

The man grinned and pushed his fringe back from his forehead. “Matt Smith.”

Alex gave him a smile and stuck out her hand. “Alex Kingston.”

“Kingston, eh? That sounds… pretty badass, honestly.”

How many times can a woman blush in such a short period of time? Alex was sure she was going to set a record. She opened her mouth to reply before she was cut off by him speaking once again.

“Okay, Kingston. You got a bag?”

Bewildered, she turned and grabbed her handbag from the bar stool on the other side of her and held it out. “Um, I’ve got this.”

Matt took it from her and set it on his lap. “Brilliant. Now look over by the door, do you see the jukebox?”

Alex turned to look over her shoulder, locating the jukebox easily. Confused, she turned back to Matt smoothing down his jacket and holding out her bag. “Yes, I see it. What- oh, why is this so heavy?” She’d just grabbed her small handbag back and realized it had gained at least a pound or two since she’d passed it to him. “What’s in here?”

Just as she reached to open it and look inside, Matt’s hand reached out to still hers. “Ah, ah, ah, not yet, Kingston. Now listen to me, this is where it gets important. In a moment, I want you to walk over to the jukebox and pretend to look through it. When you get over there, put your hand in your handbag and get ready. I’m going to walk over to where the bartender is standing, and ask him for another drink. Now when you get the signal – and believe me, you won’t miss it – pull what’s in your handbag out. Don’t use it, just – use it like a warning.”

“A warning? Darling, I don’t understand, what -”

“You’ll find out. Now look at me seriously.” She looked up at him, surprised and almost concerned at the solemness in his expression. “This is your last chance to back out before you get into this. You can turn and walk away, no questions asked. But I need you to be sure this is what you want to do, leave everything, and I mean _everything_ , behind.”

Alex took a deep breath and hesitated, before nodding. Matt nodded back wordlessly and slipped off his stool, holding out his hand to help her down.

“Alright then, Kingston. Off you go.”

As she made her way to the jukebox, she wondered what he could possibly have planned. Her mind raced through possibilities, but she dismissed every one of them. When she reached the jukebox, she pretended to peruse the selections and reached one hand discreetly inside her handbag.

The moment her fingers closed around the cool metal of the pistol, Alex realized that whatever his plan was, it was way more than she’d bargained for.

**Author's Note:**

> Story title from "Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde" by Travis Tritt


End file.
